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Python File Handling Basics Guide

The document provides an introduction to file handling in Python, explaining the importance of files for storing data and the various operations that can be performed on them, such as opening, reading, writing, and closing files. It details different file modes, methods for reading and writing, and techniques for ensuring files are properly closed, including exception handling and the use of the 'with' statement. Additionally, it includes examples of Python programs for various file operations, such as counting words, merging files, and modifying file contents.

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10.Karthik Malipeddi
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7 views21 pages

Python File Handling Basics Guide

The document provides an introduction to file handling in Python, explaining the importance of files for storing data and the various operations that can be performed on them, such as opening, reading, writing, and closing files. It details different file modes, methods for reading and writing, and techniques for ensuring files are properly closed, including exception handling and the use of the 'with' statement. Additionally, it includes examples of Python programs for various file operations, such as counting words, merging files, and modifying file contents.

Uploaded by

10.Karthik Malipeddi
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

INTRODUCTION TO FILE

• A file is a collection of data stored on a secondary storage device, such as a hard


disk.
• Files are used to store information in a structured and organized manner.
• A file is basically used because real-life applications involve large amounts of
data and in such situations the console oriented I/O operations pose two major
problems:
 It becomes cumbersome and time consuming to handle huge amount of data through
terminals.
 When doing I/O using terminal, the entire data is lost when either the program is
terminated or computer is turned off. Therefore, it becomes necessary to store data
on a permanent storage (the disks) and read whenever necessary, without destroying
the data.
File handling in Python involves various operations, including reading from and
writing to files.
Opening a File :To open a file, use the open() function. It takes two arguments
such as the file path and the mode.

Opening and Closing Files:


• To open a file, you can use the open() function. It takes two arguments: the
file path and the mode.

# Opening a file in 'read' mode


file = open("[Link]", "r")

• It's important to close the file after performing operations to free up system
resources.
[Link]()
FILE HANDLING

• Different Modes:
• "r" (Read): Open for reading (default).
• "w" (Write): Open for writing. Creates a new file or truncates an existing one.
• "a" (Append): Open for writing. Creates a new file or appends to an existing one.
• "b" (Binary):Add to a mode to open the file in binary mode (e.g., "rb" or "wb").
• "x" (Exclusive creation): Opens the file for exclusive creation, and raises an error if
the file already exists.

4
Read and Write Operations:

# Reading the entire file


content = [Link]()

# Reading a specific number of characters

partial_content = [Link](50)

# Writing to a file

[Link]("Hello, World!\n")
[Link](["Line 1\n", "Line 2\n"])
File Closing (normal closing method)
• In Python, the close() method is used to close a file.
• It's important to close a file after using it to free up system resources. The
close() method is called on a file object.

# Syntax
file_handler.close()

• File object is deleted from memory and file is no more accessible unless
we open it again.
• If we do not close the file after program execution, python garbage
collector will destroy file object and closes file automatically.
• Don’t rely on garbage collector.
Other ways of File Closing
• File can be closed in two other different methods:
• Using exception handling
• Using with statement

• After opening the file while performing some operations (read, write, etc.), if
any exception occur in the flow of program (break the program and give
exception error), close function may not execute.
• In this situation, we can close the file using exception handling
# Syntax
try:
File_handler=open(file_name.txt, mode=‘r’)
# Operations
finally:
File_handler.close()
• Finally block execute always irrespective of exception occur or not and file
will be closed
Other ways of File Closing
• Using with statement: Using the with statement to open and automatically
close the file
# Syntax
with open(file_name.txt, 'w') as file_handler:
file_handler.write('Hello,World!')
# Operations
• Any other file operations can be done within this block
• File is automatically closed outside the with block
File object methods:
readable():This method is used to check whether file is readable or not. If it is
readable it will give True otherwise False
writable():This method is used to check whether file is writable or not. If it is
writable it will give True otherwise False

File_handler=open(file_name.txt, mode=‘r’)
File_handler.readable() # True
File_handler.writable() # False
File_handler.close()

Check file existing:


isfile() method is used to check file exist or not. It will give True/False
This method belongs to path module which is submodule of os module.
Synax import os
[Link](file_name)
Reading a file using for loop:
File_handler=open(file_name.txt, mode=‘r’)
for line in File_handler:
print(line)
File_handler.close

Reading a file using list:


File_handler=open(file_name.txt, mode=‘r’)
print(list(File_handler))
tell() and seek() methods:
• The tell() method returns the current position of the file cursor (pointer) in
the file.
• It provides the byte offset from the beginning of the file where the next read
or write operation will occur.
# Example using tell() method
with open(‘[Link]', 'r') as f:
content = [Link](10) # Read the first 10 characters
position = [Link]() # Get the current position
print(f"Content: {content}")
print(f"Current Position: {position}")
• The seek(offset, whence) method is used to change the file cursor position to
a specified offset.
• It allows to move the cursor to a specific position in the file before performing
read or write operations.
• offset specifies the number of bytes to move the cursor.
• whence specifies the reference position for the offset. It can take three
values:
• 0 (default): Offset is relative to the beginning of the file.
• 1: Offset is relative to the current position of the cursor.
• 2: Offset is relative to the end of the file.

# Example using seek() method


with open(‘[Link]', 'r') as f:
[Link](5) # Move cursor to the 6th byte from the beginning
content = [Link](10) # Read 10 characters from the current position
print(f"Content: {content}")
• Write a python program to reads a text file named file_demo.txt, then
counts the number of lines, characters, and words in that file.
Write a python code that copies the content of one text file (file_demo.txt)
to another text file (file_demo1.txt)
write the code to search a particular word (string to be taken by the user during run-time only) in
the content of file_demo.txt and display the number of occurrence of this particular word. In the
last part of the question, copy all the even indexed characters in file_demo2.txt and odd indexed
characters in file_demo3.txt.
Q.1 write a python program to create a file and write contents, save and close the file.
Q.2 Write a python program to read file contents on console.
Q.3 print first and last character present in the file.
Q.4 write a python program to compare two files.
Q.5 write a python program to merge two files to third
Q.6 write a python program to append content to a file
Q.7 write a python program to count number of words, characters and lines in a file.
Q.8 write a python program to remove certain word from file.
Q.9 write a python program to rename a file.
Q.10 write a python program to check weather file exist of not in directory.
Q.11 write a python program to convert uppercase to lowercase and vice versa in a text file
Q.12 write a python program to replace a specific line in text file.
Q.13 write a python program to print occurences of all words in text file.
Q.14 write a python program to find and replace a word in text file.
Q.15 write a python program to remove empty lines from a file.
Q.16 assign line numbers to every line of a text file.
Create a Python program that, given a user-input string, removes vowels at
positions divisible by 5 and prints the modified string. Additionally, generate
a list with the corresponding removed vowels as values.

Common questions

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The 'readable()' and 'writable()' methods are significant because they allow a user to dynamically check the capabilities of a file object regarding read and write operations. 'readable()' returns True if a file is open for reading, while 'writable()' returns True if the file is open for writing. These methods are useful for ensuring that file operations will succeed without encountering runtime errors. For example, before attempting to write data to a file, using 'writable()' can prevent errors by verifying that the file supports writing .

The Python 'list()' function, when applied to a file object, reads the entire file and returns its content as a list of strings, with each string representing a line in the file. This approach allows easy manipulation of file lines as Python list items, offering benefits such as using list comprehension or other list methods for further processing or analysis of file contents .

Exception handling in file operations can ensure proper file closure by using a try-finally block. In Python, you open the file in the try section and include all file operations there. In the finally section, you close the file, ensuring that closure occurs regardless of whether an exception is raised during the file operations. This prevents resource leaks and file corruption .

The program should first open the source file for reading, then open two separate files for writing (e.g., file_demo2.txt for even indices and file_demo3.txt for odd indices). Iterate over each character using a loop that includes an index counter. Use modular arithmetic to determine whether the index is even or odd, writing the character to the appropriate file accordingly. Finally, ensure all files are closed using the 'with' statement or try-finally construct to handle resources effectively .

The 'tell()' method enhances file manipulation by returning the current position of the file cursor, allowing programmers to monitor where in the file current operations are taking place. The 'seek()' method enhances manipulation by allowing repositioning of the cursor to a desired location in the file, enabling non-sequential reading and writing of file contents. For instance, 'tell()' can be used after a read operation to check how many bytes have been processed, and 'seek()' can be used to reset the cursor to the beginning for repeated reads .

Handling files in binary mode offers precise control over file input and output, especially for non-text data such as images or executable files where byte integrity is critical. 'b' mode should be used when the data must not have any transformation applied, such as newline character translations or encoding changes, which are typical in text mode operations .

The 'isfile()' function, available from the path module in the os library, is used to verify the existence of a specified file. It returns True if the file exists and is a regular file; otherwise, it returns False. The function is critical when a program needs to read from or write to a file, as it prevents errors associated with working with non-existent file paths .

The 'with' statement in Python optimizes file handling by ensuring that the file is properly closed after its suite finishes, even if an exception is raised, which is not always guaranteed with traditional open/close methods. This reduces the risk of file misuse and resource leaks. The 'with' statement provides a concise and clean syntax that automatically manages the acquisition and release of resources, enhancing both code readability and reliability .

Using files for handling data in real-life applications is necessary because console-oriented I/O operations have significant limitations. They become cumbersome and time-consuming when handling large amounts of data, which is common in real-life applications. Furthermore, data is lost if the program is terminated or the computer is turned off when using terminal-based I/O, necessitating the use of permanent storage like files to preserve data across sessions .

Closing a file after operations is crucial to free up system resources, such as file descriptors, thereby avoiding leaks and potential crashes in an application with high file activity. Relying solely on Python's garbage collector introduces risk since garbage collection is not predictable. Premature resource exhaustion could occur if files remain open longer than necessary, especially in environments with limited file handles .

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